Top Stories
How El Niño will impact agriculture
The weather pattern shifting to El Niño this year has been a topic of conversation in weather forecasts for some time. Chad Merrill, senior meteorologist at AccuWeather, says the El Niño weather pattern arrived earlier this month. Merrill says the forecast for July is calling for dry conditions, even in areas that have already received a lot of moisture this spring and in the early summer. In addition to the dryness, many rural areas of the country will also expect to experience increased...
Corn and soybean harvests nearly complete
As of November 10, 95% of the 2024 corn crop in the top 18 corn-growing states was harvested. This was up from 91% a week prior and ahead of the five-year average of 84%. USDA said 96% of the soybean crop in the top 18 growing states was in the bins. This was up from...
Turkeys and egg layers see greatest impact from H5N1
Since 2022, the U.S. poultry industry has been battling a particularly persistent strain of H5N1, or avian influenza, and more than 100 million birds have been affected over the last two and a half years. Bernt Nelson, an economist with the American Farm Bureau, said...
BASF providing farmers with more tools to grow successful crops
Nobody in the state of Iowa would describe 2024 as normal. While it gave us more moisture than in years past, it also gave us a very dry second half of the year, which opened the door to different diseases and pests. The best we can do is learn from the lessons...
Benson Hill innovating while getting back to their roots
As harvest comes to a close, many companies are reviewing the performances of their seed products for the 2024 crop year. At Benson Hill, they’re also going back to their roots and reintroducing some of the former parts of their portfolio. Aaron Robinson, vice...
Pork industry navigating the changing regulatory environment
The political winds in Washington D.C. are shifting after the November elections, what does that mean for policy as it affects the pork industry? Lori Stevermer is the President of the National Pork Producers Council and she says that with government leadership...
Mississippi River low during harvest for third straight year
The Mississippi River is experiencing an unwelcome three-peat with low water levels during harvest season. The “Mighty Mississip” experienced low water in both 2022 and 2023 and now once again this harvest season. Charts from the U.S. Geological Survey show...
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More Ag News
U.S. Export Sales Report (3-13-25)
Despite a slight miss to the corn sales, the grain numbers from this week’s export sales were positive for the marketplace. Allendale commodity broker Greg McBride gave an update on the latest numbers from the USDA. McBride said the markets will keep a close eye on...
Farm lenders and insurers implore ag lawmakers for new farm bill
Farm lenders, insurers, and growers pleaded with Senate Ag lawmakers to pass a new farm bill now with improved crop insurance, reference prices, and loan programs. That is Ben Noble, a former Senate staffer and head of Arkansas’ Riceland Foods. Caleb Hopkins with...
Urban farmers can apply for cost-share to boost beneficial insects
Urban farmers can now get cost-share and technical support to boost beneficial insect habitat on their farms through Practical Farmers of Iowa’s and Xerces Society’s beneficial insects cost-share. Sign-ups are now open and available until funding runs out. “Urban...
New NPPC President looks ahead to a busy term
The National Pork Industry Forum is one of the most important industry events of the year. The event, which is a joint annual business meeting of the National Pork Producers Council and the National Pork Board, is taking place right now in Orlando, Florida. Duane...
Data-driven success with GHX
In today’s challenging agricultural economy, farmers must leverage every piece of data available to maximize their return on investment. Programs like GHX from Golden Harvest are empowering growers by providing data-driven insights to select the right hybrids,...
